


Stray Kids One-Shots

by BTS_AlissMarie



Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: Angst, Chan is A Mom, Choi Youngjae - Freeform, Collapsing, Fluff, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Im Jaebum - Freeform, Jisung is just tired, Kim Yugyeom - Freeform, M/M, More tags to be added as more chapters are updated, Multi, Park Jinyoung - Freeform, Tuan Mark - Freeform, Wang Jackson - Freeform, Woojin is a Dad, bambam - Freeform, got7 cameo - Freeform, lots of fluff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-09
Updated: 2019-05-10
Packaged: 2020-02-28 20:52:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 15,777
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18764014
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BTS_AlissMarie/pseuds/BTS_AlissMarie
Summary: Title is pretty self-explanatory - I love so many K-Pop groups, but Stray Kids is my ultimate group. I don't necessarily have a bias yet because it keeps changing, but it's been Han/Jisung for a while, so a lot of my one-shots will probably be Jisung-centric. I know the first one is. xD Anyway, none of these stories are real. Some of these may be based on real events that happened (i.e. Hyunjin & Han hating each other as trainees), but I just like writing about them! So I hope you all enjoy and come to appreciate Stray Kids even further after reading these! STAN THEM and STREAM MIROH!! It's so good, it even got them their first win and kept them consistently higher up on the charts than even BTS' most recent song!!**Requests are open!**[I do not do smut. Thank you!]Bang Chan - Leader/Producer/Rapper/VocalistKim Woojin - Vocalist/EldestLee Minho - Dancer/VocalistSeo Changbin - Rapper/ProducerHwang Hyunjin - Rapper/DancerHan Jisung - Rapper/Vocalist/ProducerLee Felix - Rapper/DancerKim Seungmin - VocalistYang Jeongin - Vocalist/Maknae





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Jisung just wants to sleep, but no one will let him - until they realize just how tired he is.

Jisung’s Breaking Point (Stray Kids X Got7)

Han Jisung already felt exhausted when Chan woke everyone for training. He’d stayed up until four in the morning working on the lyrics that were due next week, only to get up two hours later at six when Chan roughly shook his shoulder. Of course, Jisung hid his exhaustion by wearing a hat that shadowed the bags under his eyes and trying to act like his usual wild self. For most of the morning, he managed to keep his emotions at bay and play along with Minho’s and Hyunjin’s antics. But somewhere around mid-afternoon, things started to get worse. His exhaustion suddenly hit him hard, and he had trouble keeping up with everyone else in the choreography. They had to keep restarting and re-practicing parts of the choreography that they’d already learned. Plus, Jisung kept getting the timing wrong in _Hellevator,_ and he’d never had trouble with that song before. Bang Chan looked like he desperately wanted to stop and ask Jisung if everything was okay – and Jisung really hoped he would – but with the manager making decisions and using his judgment to discern problems, none of the members had any say in the matter.

            Thus, everyone in the room grew increasingly angry. First, the manager began speaking to Jisung in short, clipped tones. Then Chan kept shooting Jisung angry glares. Eventually, the other members distanced themselves from Jisung by refusing to look at him or acknowledge him. And Jisung, watching everything crumble in front of him, couldn’t help but feel his anger grow. Did none of them know how late he’d stayed up last night? Did none of them know how tired he was? How he felt like giving up and quitting? He was mad at himself.

            At one point, everything exploded. Jisung didn’t know quite how it had happened. One minute, they were running through the choreography of _District 9_ , the next, manager-nim was shouting.

            “How many times will I have to tell you before you get it nailed into your head, Jisung-ssi! We’ve gone through this before, so I don’t know why you’re having so much trouble!”

            The first five times this happened, Jisung refused to answer in fear that he’d say something he would later regret. He kept his eyes on the floor, studying and counting the number of marks he could find from the boys’ shoes until the angry lashing subsided.

            The last time it happened, even the other boys in Stray Kids joined in the interrogation.

            “Jisung-hyung, what’s going on?”

            “Are you okay? You’ve been acting kind of subdued today.”

            “Just do what we’ve always done, Jisung-ssi! Then we can finally move on!”

            “How are we supposed to perform at the concert if you won’t do your job!”

            “The only reason we’re still here is because of you! Please just get it right so we can move on!”

It was the frustration of his brothers, the anger of his friends, that finally snapped Jisung. When manager-nim shouted at him for not emphasizing a consonant well enough, Jisung threw his hat on the floor in anger and yelled back, “Then why don’t _you_ try to rap it!”

            Silence fell over the room as the other boys tried to digest exactly why Jisung was so angry. Angry in a way they’d never seen before. The dark glint they saw in his usually sparkling eyes scared them. Even more so at the furious, raging expression crossing over his beautiful features.

            As for Jisung himself, the young man stomped across the room and yanked open the door, only to slam it on his way out. He honestly didn’t know where he planned on going, only that he wanted to get away from the manager and from Chan and everyone else for a while. He’d pushed himself to the limit today, and they’d urged him to go farther. He just couldn’t.

            Somewhere on the second floor, Jisung’s thoughts were halted when a hand grabbed his arm and forced him to stop. “Where do you think you’re going?”

            “Let go of me, Chan-hyung. I’m not in the mood to go back to practice,” Jisung growled, wrenching his arm away from the grip on him. “Just give me some time alone. Please.”

            “Is that any way to treat your sunbaenim?” the voice came again, and with a start, Jisung realized Chan had not been the one who’d stopped him. It was Im Jaebum of Got7. 

            Instead of apologizing profusely to the older man, Jisung only threw himself on Jaebum in a much-needed hug, squeezing his sunbaenim closer to enjoy the warmth and physical contact. In response, Jaebum slowly returned the gesture once Jisung’s movements registered in his brain. He didn’t know the boy well, but he did know that it had been quite some time since Jisung had had serious trouble with anyone in his group. Plus, the young man _never_ hugged anyone from Got7.

            “Is everything all right, Jisung-ah?” Jaebum used a fond tone of voice for the younger man. He knew there were days when idols just needed someone to listen to them and offer them advice. This seemed to be one of those days for Jisung – one of those rare days. Jaebum couldn’t remember the last time Jisung had given up on practice because of his own needs. “You didn’t have a fight, did you?”

            “No. Yes. I don’t know.” From those five words, Jaebum could hear the utter exhaustion and confusion in Jisung’s voice. The poor kid sounded like he’d been sleep-deprived for days. But Jisung needed to finish what he wanted to say before Jaebum could step in and take control. “Nothing seemed to go right at practice today. I kept messing up my part in _District 9_ , which I’ve never done before. Manager-nim was shouting at me. Chan kept glaring at me. And the others wouldn’t even try to help. They just got so frustrated and it’s all my fault and I can’t figure out how to fix everything.”

            “First of all, Jisung-ah,” Jaebum began, gently pushing the boy off him and holding him at arms-length, “you can’t fix everything. There are bound to be arguments and fights in any group. It’s getting through them that will make you stronger. Secondly, messing up might not be your fault. If this is the first time you’ve had so much trouble, then they should at least cut you a little slack.” At this point, Jaebum reached up and removed Jisung’s hat. Now the dark circles were easily visible – and they stood out prominently on Jisung’s face. “Thirdly, proper rest will keep you from messing up the way you were today. I know it’s difficult to catch enough sleep at this stage in your career, especially when you have a deadline for a song quickly approaching. But if you collapse from lack of sleep, then you’re even less likely to meet that deadline than if you sleep a full six or seven hours.” Jaebum gently patted Jisung on the head, feeling the soft strands of the boy’s orange-bleached hair rubbing against his fingers. “I think your answer to this problem is to rest and take care of your health. Your emotions are bound to be unstable if you’re so tired you can’t think straight. But if you don’t tell your band members how tired you are and how weak you feel, then they have every right to yell at you. You aren’t being honest with them.”

            The truth of Jaebum’s words hit Jisung right in the heart. Yes, he hadn’t told his band members about his condition, but he’d thought he could make it through. “Chan-hyung can handle it,” Jisung protested, staring deep into Jaebum’s kind eyes for some sense of sympathy. He found it gazing back at him, and the beautiful gentleness of Jaebum’s grip caused Jisung’s knees to go weak. The young boy staggered against the older idol, feeling strong arms tighten around his waist to steady him.

            “Channie’s had seven years to prepare for the work that goes into being leader of such a large group,” Jaebum murmured quietly. “Plus, he’s had that routine for quite some time now, so his body is used to it. _You_ , however, are not Chan. You’re not used to getting two hours of sleep for seven consecutive days – which, by the way, Chan doesn’t do because he knows how to take care of himself – and if you continue on such a small amount of sleep, you’re eventually going to give out. I think you’ve reached your breaking point today. There’s no way you can practice anymore.”

            Hearing those amazing, wonderful words spill from someone else’s mouth told Jisung everything would be okay. This time, when the wave of tiredness washed over him, he didn’t resist. He fell against Jaebum, allowing the older man to hold him close. His eyes drooped lower and lower. He most likely would have fallen asleep right there in the middle of the hallway had Jaebum not nudged his shoulder and murmured, “I’ll take you to the rest of my group. They all know what it’s like to reach breaking point, so they’ll be able to help you out. In the meantime, I’ll talk to your manager about letting you spend the rest of the day with us. I think it’s time for you to have a little break, so I’ll see if we can get you tomorrow off as well.”

            Had Jisung been able to accurately process the words, he would’ve thanked Jaebum on the spot. As it turned out, he only nodded against Jaebum’s chest and did his best to walk along as the older idol guided him down the hall to a room on the left. About ten feet from the door, shouts and raucous laughter could be heard. Jaebum sighed.

            “I swear. I leave them alone for two minutes and they tear down the room.” Jisung chuckled at Jaebum’s playfully annoyed tone. He understood perfectly what his sunbaenim meant. Jaebum stood outside the door and knocked loudly with one closed fist. “If I walk in there and you’ve destroyed the room, I will personally lock you up in a room with nothing but walls so you have to live in isolation without anything to destroy for the rest of your life!”

              Wow. The death threats had definitely escalated since Jisung had last hung out with Got7. Last time, it had only been to lock the boys in a room with each other so they had to learn to get along. But that didn’t last long, since they were basically already locked up in a room with each other all day.

            “Hyung!!” a voice whined through the door. “I promise I haven’t done anything! Yugyeom and Jackson won’t shut up!”

            “If I hear more excuses, I’m locking you three in a room together!” Jaebum threatened, to which three utterly horrified voices floated through the door. Jisung and Jaebum exchanged triumphant glances before the older of the two opened the door and dragged the weary member of Stray Kids inside. “I brought a visitor, so play nice.”

            Immediately, all commotion died down. A tall body shot toward the two men standing in the doorway and latched itself on Jisung, pulling the boy from Jaebum’s arms. “Oh my goodness, it’s Jisungie!! What are you doing here?!”

            Jisung couldn’t help but smile at Yugyeom’s silly antics. Every time he joined Got7, he always ended up laughing to the point that he either cried or ran out of breath. He might be tired, but he could appreciate Yugyeom’s hilarious attitude.

            “He needs a little cheering up,” Jaebum replied for Jisung, realizing the boy wouldn’t answer the question unless pressured to. And he’d already had enough pressure for today.

            At the news, all seven heads of Got7 turned in Jisung’s direction. The young man lowered his head at the sudden attention, his cheeks reddening with the knowledge that his amazing sunbaenims were all worried about him.

            Yugyeom gently placed his hand under Jisung’s chin and tilted the boy’s head upward. He searched Jisung’s gaze with his own. “You look like you’re about to drop from exhaustion. Look at those bags under your eyes! What have you been doing, kid?”

            Again, Jaebum answered for Jisung. “He reached breaking point today. I caught him outside.”

            Sharp exclamations and sympathetic _aww_ ’s resounded from the mass of boys in the room. Jinyoung, his famous motherly instincts kicking in, moved forward and pushed Yugyeom aside. His fingers laced with Jisung’s, pulling and guiding the younger man toward a couch in the back of their practice studio. “You can stay with us until your brothers finish practicing. Channie and Changbinnie are most likely the only ones who understand what you’re going through. We don’t have much to work much today since we recently held a concert, so we’ll keep quiet and let you rest here.”

            “Thank you,” Jisung murmured gratefully, sinking into the couch with a contented sigh. Jaebum and Jinyoung would take care of everything for him; he could finally rest. “And thank Jaebum-sunbaenim for me.”

            “He knows,” Jinyoung replied softly. The man grabbed a blanket and pillow that lay off to the side and fluffed them both up before spreading the blanket over Jisung’s curled-up form and placing the pillow under his head. “Get some rest. We’ll take care of you.”

            Under the watchful gazes of the older idol group, Jisung felt safe and loved. For once, he didn’t have to worry about his responsibilities or feel bad for doing his best. He could just sleep. And sleep he did.

\----

Back in Stray Kids’ practice room, the eight other boys huddled nervously in a circle while their manager called JYP to send out a search to find Jisung. Chan had chased after the rapper-singer but lost him at the elevator, much to the dismay of the manager. Jisung couldn’t just ditch the group the way he had. But then again, everyone _had_ been pretty harsh on him.

            They all felt bad for building up Jisung’s guilt and the anger to the point he felt he had to run out on them. Still, Jisung could have given them some warning.

            Halfway through the manager’s call to JYP, a knock sounded on the door and someone peeked their head in. Chan reacted first, standing to his feet and bowing formally to the figure. “Jaebum-sunbaenim, to what do we owe this great pleasure?”

            “Channie, you know we’re past that,” Jaebum smiled as he came into the room and waved down the manager. “We’ve been friends long enough that you can call me Jaebum-hyung.” Once the manager’s attention had been caught, Jaebum continued by announcing, “If you’re looking for Jisung-ah, he’s in our practice room.”

            At that announcement, eight pairs of shoulders relaxed in relief. The manager moved as if to pull Jaebum to the side, but the other man held a hand up as a sign for everyone to stop what they were doing and pay attention. “I don’t exactly know what happened here today,” the experienced idol began, “but I do know without asking that you let it go too far. Number one, did none of you notice how tired Jisung was today?”

            Awkward silence, with each of the members shifting uncomfortably on their feet and staring down at the wooden floor.

            “Secondly, how guilty he felt that he couldn’t appease you? He kept going and going without complaining because that’s the type of person he is. _You_ are the ones at fault for his outburst.”

            A silence so heavy that even the lightest of breaths could be heard.

            “Finally, do you not know him well enough to know when it’s time to stop criticizing?” This time, Jaebum carried on without allowing a lull to develop. “I’m surprised you didn’t think about this more logically, especially you, Chan. When was the last time Jisung’s had so much trouble at a practice? The last time he messed up so badly dancing to the choreography of District 9? The last time he forgot lines in Hellevator? As far as I can remember . . . pretty much never. So why didn’t you think about the fact that something might be wrong?”

            Now extremely uncomfortable and out in the open, Chan slowly raised his dark eyes to Jaebum’s, the shame clear in those piercing irises. “I did . . . but it’s not my place to interfere with the manager’s plans.”

            “Stop placing the blame on others, Chris!” Jaebum snapped, and Chan winced. Jaebum almost _never_ used that tone of voice, much less Chan’s real name, to address a situation. “You know better than the others in your group that there are acceptable and necessary times to step in and assert your authority as leader. Since you know Jisung better than anyone else, you should have seen what was happening and told the manager to leave Jisung alone. That, or you should have ordered a break. JYP gave us permission to do so when the health of one of the members is involved.”

            No spoken reply came from the small figure standing in the center of the room. Only a shake of the head, bleached curls bouncing up and down, was visible. Chan knew he had absolutely no one to blame for this situation except himself.

            Jaebum reached out and placed a comforting hand on his old friend’s shoulder. “Don’t beat yourself up over this too much, Channie. You’re one of the best leaders I’ve ever seen, and even the best leaders make mistakes sometimes. Plus, I know Jisung has never acted this way during practice before so you didn’t know exactly what to do. Just be sure to apologize to him and make sure something like this doesn’t happen again. That’s all you can do at this point.”

            Another nod, to which Jaebum gently rubbed Chan’s shoulder. “The rest of you should be aware of a situation like this next time. I do acknowledge that Jisung is partially at fault since he didn’t tell you how bad his condition was, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t have noticed his fatigue. In the future, if something like this happens, stop what you’re doing and tell Chan to speak to the member in question. If for some reason Chan doesn’t listen or he’s not here, go to the manager. If the manager doesn’t listen, go to JYP. He will believe you and know what to do. Understand?”

            Every head in the room bobbed up and down in eager obedience, causing Jaebum to try and hide the smile that threatened to emerge over his lips. He loved the boys of Stray Kids so much, and not just because they were a younger group and therefore kind of like his children. No, they were his friends too. He felt so proud of them for getting through situations like this with barely a problem. Chan had chosen his team well.

            Only one more person left. Jaebum pivoted on his heel to face the manager, setting his features in rock-hard ferociousness. “ _You’re_ the one I’m most disappointed in. You were given this job for a reason and you’re abusing your authority by forcing those under your command to continue on to lengths they can’t reach. You of all people should have noticed Jisung’s unusual behavior and his continuous mess-ups. If something that doesn’t normally occur repeatedly happens, you should be hyper aware that something is not right. But you kept pushing Jisung until he reached breaking point. Now he’s completely drained of energy, passed out on the couch of another group who had to interfere in a matter that’s not their problem to deal with. JYP will be informed of this, and you will be under strict watch the next three weeks to evaluate your directing and confirm that this was a one-time mistake only.”

            The manager before Jaebum blanched, knowing that his career could now be on the line. He’d messed up big-time by being so ignorant of Jisung’s weariness and discomfort; he’d driven it on to a point past forgiveness. He deserved this. So the manager bowed to Jaebum, someone who had more authority and more right to step in and end his career. “I apologize for what proceeded today, Jaebum-ssi. I was wrong and did not do my job effectively. Do what you see fit for me. I will work hard to make sure that today’s scenario is never repeated.”

            “Good,” Jaebum nodded, decidedly satisfied. The manager wasn’t a bad man. Not at all. But everyone needed a little prod now and then to get them back in line when they stepped over bounds. “You can collect Jisung after you finish practice today. I think he needs a little time away from you all to recuperate and catch up on rest. When you finish, come to our practice room and we’ll be there to let you know how he’s doing.”

            Eight heads nodded agreement, one pair of arms latched on to Jaebum in thanks, and sudden pandemonium broke out across the dance practice room.

            Now this . . . _this_ was more like it.

\---- 

Jisung woke some time later to the sound of soft voices echoing in his ears. His mind felt heavy and weighed down with sleep, and he was pretty sure a mild headache was forming behind his eyes. Yeah, this was more his fault than anyone else’s. He should have told Chan earlier how bad he felt. But he hadn’t, and now another group had to take care of him.

            Speaking of another group . . .

            The voices currently floating in Jisung’s ears were those of Got7. Still completely worn out and a little achy, Jisung opted for listening in to his sunbaenims’ conversation in hopes that they would lull him to sleep.

            “You think you would have died from the sound of that scream.” Yugyeom.

            “Excuse me, heart attack is one of the main causes of death in the world, you idiot.” Okay, that had to be Jackson.

            “That was a _scream_ , not a heart attack.” Jinyoung had joined the conversation, for once siding with Yugyeom in a rare display of affection. “Besides, you’re known for overreacting.”

            “What?! _You_ try to watch that video without screaming!”

            Silence for a few seconds, then an unbridled snicker. “We _did_.”

            Quiet, merry laughter broke out between the bickering boys as Jackson’s voice responded with, “You know what, I hate you all. I’m out.”

            Amidst the peals of laughter, BamBam could be heard whisper-shouting, “Two out!”

            Then Mark joined in. “Three out!”

            “Four out!”

            “Five out!”

            Right at “six out”, a knock sounded on the door and the members of Got7 quieted down enough to allow the visitors to enter. The sound of many feet disrupted the quiet atmosphere, and Jisung shifted from his position to cover his ears. Couldn’t he just sleep? Why did Got7 need so many visitors in their practice room?

            The next moment, a hand descended on Jisung’s forehead and gently brushed the hair back from his forehead in slow, smooth movements. It was then that the boy realized his head rested on someone’s lap rather than on the pillow he’d been given previously. Still, he’d figure out who it was later, when he wasn’t so tired.

            Then Chan’s voice sounded not too far from Jisung. “How is he, Jaebummie?”

            So Stray Kids were the visitors? Sounded about right. They _had_ to come rant to Jisung sometime about how terribly he’d messed up and how rudely he’d treated them. Now would be as good a time as any.

            Jisung tried to stir and sit up to face the barrage of criticism from his brothers, but the hand stroking through his hair moved to his chest and carefully pressed down to keep him from moving. The fact that Jaebum next spoke from somewhere right above Jisung told the young boy that he currently rested on the lap of the leader of Got7.

            “He developed a mild fever about three hours ago, but it’s so low I’m guessing it’s probably just from overwork and exhaustion. It’ll go away if he continues to rest.”

            “I see.” Chan’s footsteps neared Jisung until the young prodigy felt his own leader’s hand rest against his forehead. “You’re right. We were really stupid today to not see that he was overworked.”

            Wait. Chan wasn’t angry?

            “Go ahead and tell him, Channie, he’s listening,” Jaebum murmured. “I’m not sure how much he’ll remember because he’s pretty out of it, but he’s awake right now.”

            “Oh.” Chan sounded like he wanted to ask how Jaebum knew that, but the man must have decided not to question and just trust his elder. “Very well then.” A shadow fell across the light over Jisung’s closed eyes; the hand over his forehead began a pattern of pushing and pulling fondly at the strands of his bleached-orange hair. “Jisungie, I’m so sorry for what happened during practice today. As a leader, I should have seen how tired you were and how close you were to collapsing. But I didn’t. I should have stepped in earlier and told manager to give you a break or just have you take the rest of the day off. But I didn’t. At the least, I should have approached you and asked you if you were okay, especially since you were acting strangely. Most importantly, I should have noticed sooner something was wrong. It was evident from the way you couldn’t seem to get things right when you normally fix corrections on the first try. It was very foolish and wrong of me not to see your exhaustion and not to take matters into my own hands. I’m so sorry for being a terrible leader.”

            Well, Jisung couldn’t just sit back and not do anything after that. But he still felt too tired and sick to do much . . . so, with eyes still closed and mind a bit warbled, Jisung sighed out through his lips, “It’s okay, Channie-hyung.” 

            The man above him sucked in a sharp breath, sounding on the verge of tears. The fingers caressing through Jisung’s hair halted for a brief movement before the hand moved to cup his cheek and a pair of soft lips planted a kiss on Jisung’s head. “I love you, Jisungie, no matter how many mistakes I make. I promise you that.”

            Such uplifting words calmed the last of the doubt in Jisung’s heart, and the boy released a happy sigh into the air before falling limp against Jaebum and allowing sleep to claim his exhausted mind again.

\----

Minutes later, hours later, days later . . . Jisung didn’t know how long he’d been asleep before he became aware of the quiet ticking of a clock. It sounded like the one in his dorm room.

            Blinking his eyes open, Jisung came face-to-face with the wooden bottom of the bunk above him. Normally he had the top bunk, which must mean he was in either Seungmin’s or Changbin’s bunk. Either that, or Chan had moved him to the hyungs’ room since it was generally the quietest room and Jisung would receive the best rest there.

            As his eyes shook off sleep, Jisung looked around and took in the unfamiliar layout of the room. Okay, so he definitely wasn’t in his room . . . and there were three bunks, so this must be Chan, Woojin, and Minho’s room. Which meant Jisung slept in Minho’s bed.

            Knowing now where he was and feeling a bit more refreshed than he had earlier, Jisung released a huge yawn and stretched his arms out until his fingers brushed the mahogany headrest.

            “Jisungie? You’re awake?”

            The voice came out of nowhere and terrified Jisung to no end. He flinched and nearly hit his head on the top bunk when he shot up out of the bed, eliciting an amused chuckle from whoever had spoken.

            “Sorry, Jisungie, I didn’t mean to scare you.”

            Bang Chan sat at his desk off to the side of the room, watching Jisung with an expression of fondness and concern. The man looked tired, but at the same time he seemed more at ease than normal – maybe he’d talked to JYP about the deadline or something. Whatever the case, Chan had obviously gotten time off to care for Jisung.

            “It’s okay, hyung, I just didn’t expect you to be in here. You’re creepily quiet when you want to be, you know.”

            Chan laughed again, this time getting up and approaching Jisung with slow steps. “How are you feeling now, Sung? Do you want to eat or would you rather sleep some more?”

            Jisung contemplated the question for a long moment, leaning into Chan’s touch when his leader wrapped a steady arm around his shoulders. “I feel a lot better now – more focused – but I’m still really tired. How long did I sleep?”

            Chan glanced at the clock hanging on the wall above them. “Just about six hours. It’s nearing eight o’clock now.”

            “Oh. I guess I should probably eat something then.”

            “Sounds good. The others finished up eating about an hour ago, so we could probably just warm up the leftovers if that’s good with you. Then you can head back to bed.” Chan lifted his hand to Jisung’s forehead as he spoke, feeling the slight heat radiating from the boy’s skin. “And you’ve still got a slight fever, so you should probably take some medicine too.”

            “Okay.”

            “Come on. The others are waiting for you in the living room. I’ll warm up your dinner while you talk with them.”

            “Ah . . . sure.”

            Jisung felt a little nervous at the thought of facing his bandmates; they had every right to ridicule him for hiding his condition from them with their deadline a mere week away. But he needed to face them at some point, and now would work better than later. Thus, Jisung allowed Chan to steer him out into the living room where most of the members were gathered to watch a movie.

            Woojin spotted him first, running over and gathering his dongsaeng in a hug, sighing all the while. Then the rest took notice of him and came over one by one to hug him or pat his head or kiss his cheek. Many words of comfort were whispered in his ears, and Jisung berated himself for having believed they would criticize him. They were always so gentle and kind with him.

            “You’re not mad at me?” he asked tentatively once they’d all been seated. He sat on the couch with Seungmin on one side and Woojin on the other.

            Hyunjin, on the floor in front of Jisung’s feet, glanced back at his enemy-turned-friend with a quizzical look on his beautiful face. “Why would we be mad at you, Ji?”

            Feeling confused by the question that should have a clear answer, Jisung cleared his throat and stared down at his hands. “Because I didn’t tell you how bad I was feeling when we promised each other we always would. And because I caused you all a lot of problems today.”

            “You shouldn’t have had to tell us how bad you were feeling,” Minho blurted out from his spot in the recliner. “We should have noticed. The signs were so obvious, but we ignored all of them. For that, we are all sorry.”

            Jisung opened his mouth to shoot down the apology, but Woojin beat him to it. “We’re all at fault here – Jisung for not being honest, and us for not stepping in – which means that none of us should be blamed for this. We can apologize to each other by never letting this happen again in the future.”

            Seven heads nodded adamant agreement, after which a friendly silence fell over the group of boys. The only sounds came from the kitchen where Chan finished heating up Jisung’s meal.

             Then Changbin suddenly asked, “But why did you think you caused us problems today, Sungie? We’re the ones who caused you all the problems.”

            Now Jisung felt even more confused. Could they really not see all the issues he’d caused today by running out on them? The rapper rubbed his tired eyes as Chan entered with a heap of steaming kimchi and rice. “Well, first off, I didn’t tell you how I felt. Second, I didn’t get the sleep I needed, which is why this all happened in the first place. Third, I cut practice short. Fourth, I made you all worry. Fifth, I disrupted Got7’s practice. Sixth, I—”

            “Jisung-hyung, stop it.”

            All heads whipped toward Jeongin, whose pleading voice sounded on the verge of breaking. A wet sheen glistened in his eyes, something that alarmed the other boys. Had Jeongin been hiding his feelings too, after all of this?

            “Jeonginnie, I . . . are you okay?”

            Chan hurriedly shoved the plate of food onto Jisung’s lap and shuffled over to the maknae. However, Jeongin made no move, even when Chan wrapped a strong arm around him.

            “I don’t want you to feel guilty again, hyung,” Jeongin sniffed. “We already made you angry once today. Angrier than I’ve ever seen you – please don’t do that again, you scared me so much. I really thought you were mad at me.”

            Oh. _Oh._

            Jisung had made Jeongin feel vulnerable. Jisung had made Jeongin feel _afraid. Terrified_. _Hurt._ Jisung had made Jeongin feel this way.

            His instincts moving his body before his brain could catch up, Jisung immediately threw his dinner on Seungmin's lap and leaped off the couch at the sight of the tears rolling down Jeongin’s cheeks. He stumbled the ten feet across the room and gathered up the maknae in his arms, allowing the youngest member of their group to soak his shirt with salty tears.

            “I’m so sorry, Jeonginnie. I promise I wasn’t mad at you,” Jisung whispered into his little brother’s ear. “I was just so tired and frustrated that I couldn’t think straight. I wanted to be done with practice. And I couldn’t do anything right. No, I wasn’t mad at you. I was mad at myself.”

            A little sob tore it’s way out of Jeongin’s throat as the maknae clutched Jisung’s shirt in his large hands. “I’m sorry, hyung. I didn’t mean to make it worse.”

            “Innie, you didn’t, I promise. And I’m okay now, so let’s not worry about it, hmm? We can watch a movie together this weekend if it makes you feel better.”

            “Really?” Jisung’s heart melted at the childish tone in the youngest’s voice. He squeezed Jeongin closer to him, burying his nose in the soft strands of hair and nodding before letting go and returning to Woojin’s strong arms.

            Chan surveyed the group before him, seeing the mess the whole situation today had created. Jeongin feeling frightened of his own bandmate, Jisung nearly collapsing due to exhaustion, no one else noticing anything out of the ordinary until it was too late. The leader of Stray Kids knew he had to face this eventually, especially now that JYP knew about what had happened. And he needed to ground it into the others’ minds that they must speak up as soon as they noticed something wrong with themselves or with the others. He opened his mouth to speak, but snapped it shut as soon as a puzzled statement popped out of Changbin’s mouth.

            “Sung, all those ‘problems’ you listed to us earlier—” the dark rapper began, shifting in his spot on the couch to gently place a hand over Jisung’s. Jisung felt a flood of affection at the gesture; Changbin rarely used physical touch to comfort someone, which meant he felt bad about what happened today. Still, Jisung knew none of this was Changbin’s fault.

            So he cut Changbin off by stating, “I know, Binnie-hyung. What’s done is done so there’s no going back. I should just make sure it doesn’t happen again.”

            “I mean, yes,” Changbin nodded, “but no. You shouldn’t consider those problems too deeply, Sung, because they really didn’t bother us too much. Besides, some good came out of it. We get two days off that we desperately need off in order to function for the performance of the new song next week. Now we know what to do if something like this happens again and we know more of how to take care of each other. And Got7 really didn’t mind you dropping in on their day. They didn’t have much to do, and they hardly get to see you anyway. They missed you, Sung, and today gave them an opportunity to see you and take care of you again.”

            “Oh . . .” Jisung didn’t really know how to respond to that, so he merely stared deep into Changbin’s piercing stare, feeling goosebumps break out over his arm. How did he respond to such words? He felt touched that no one seemed to be disappointed with him, but rather worried about the incident and relieved he was receiving a break. But still . . . he could only sit in a trance-like state, digesting the words and wondering how to respond.

            “What he’s trying to say, Jisungie,” Woojin whispered from the side, “is that we love you too much to consider those as problems. _You_ are not a problem to us, so we and Got7 don’t mind being worried about you. Our worry is worth it if it means you’re okay.”

            A large, teddy-bear like hand descended on Jisung’s locks of dyed-orange hair and gently patted the strands as if to emphasize Woojin’s words. In response, Jisung threw himself on Woojin in an embrace and wrapped his arms around the older man’s waist, burying his nose in the crook of Woojin’s neck.

            Quiet laughter rang out in the living room at the rapper’s actions; Minho’s and Hyunjin’s high-pitched giggles stood out in the crowd and provided Jisung with an extra sense of comfort. He loved his brothers, he really did. He didn’t know where he’d be without them and their constant support.

            “On a more serious note,” Chan stated after the laughter died down, “we may not consider all the events of today to be problems, but they are lessons to be learned from. We need to discuss procedures to take in the future if we see one of us struggling.”

            “Well, first things first, the person not feeling up to par needs to speak up,” Woojin instantly cut in. He currently watched Jisung stuff his mouth full of the kimchi, satisfied at the large amount of food being shoveled between the younger rapper’s lips with each bite. “Even if it’s just a muscle cramping, let us know. Anything that isn’t monitored from the start could become worse.”

            “True,” Minho agreed. “And since we’re on the subject of monitoring, if a member admits they’re not feeling well or they’re showing signs of sickness, keep an eye on them and let Chan or another member know.”

            Seungmin nodded in agreement and added his bit by murmuring, “And if you see one of us acting differently than normal or looking sick, confront us about it. We’re a family and we share everything.”

            “If it’s Chan who’s not feeling well, we should let the manager in charge know so they’re watching him. He’s vital to the team, so if he goes down we need to be prepared and have a backup plan,” Felix said.

            No one added anything further, so Chan gave them all a proud smile and clapped his hands together. “Sounds like a plan. We’ll discuss what to do in each location – here, at the studio, a fan sign, or some other place – a little later. For now, I think Jisungie needs to head back to bed. He looks about ready to start drooling.”

            Jisung, who had slumped against Woojin’s shoulder with eyes half-closed, protested weakly at Chan’s words and tried his best to sit up and prove he didn’t need to go to bed yet. Jeongin giggled at his hyung’s sad objections, obviously feeling more uplifted and encouraged after the whole conversation that had just taken place. The maknae stood and moved over to Jisung to grab his empty plate and take it to the kitchen.

            Meanwhile, Felix stood and gently placed a hand against Jisung’s forehead. “Has he taken medicine yet? I think he’s still got a slight fever.”

            “Ah!” Minho hopped up and grabbed the medicine off the counter along with a bottle of water, which he handed to Jisung to swallow. “Good boy. Now off to bed.”

            Jisung allowed Minho to pat his head fondly before standing and trying to stagger off to bed with his eyes still trying to close on him. Halfway there, someone lifted him into the air bridal-style and carried him to their room. His head rested comfortably on their shoulder.

            Once he’d been placed back into a soft, fluffy bed, whoever had been carrying him pulled the covers up to his chin and planted a soft kiss on his hairline. Jisung cracked his eyes open enough to see Chan standing above him with an affectionate smile.

            He had the best group in the world. Jisung couldn’t be more grateful that Chan had chosen him for his group, that he’d been able to debut with all eight of them. They’d proven to him that family could be more than biology.

            Chan turned to head back to the other boys, but Jisung reached out and tiredly wrapped his fingers around his leader’s wrist. Chan turned back to Jisung with a questioning look.

            “Stay and cuddle with me?” Jisung asked, pursing his lips in a cute pout.

            How could Chan say no to that look? Stray Kids’ leader smiled down at his dongsaeng and clambered into the bed with Jisung to wrap the younger boy in his arms. Jisung returned the gesture, feeling safe and comforted in the arms of his great leader.

            This is where he belonged. Here in the arms of his family.


	2. Love Fixes Broken Bones and Broken Hearts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dedicated to @3_Siracha for requesting this chapter!
> 
> Changbin and Jisung get into a massive argument that lands one of them in the ER with a broken arm. Will they be able to fix their relationship and prove that they truly do love each other?

 

"Hey, Jisungie, can you take a look at these lines I wrote real quick and tell me if you think they'll work with the new track Chan gave us?"

Han Jisung sat at a desk in the studio, one hand supporting his head as the other scrawled mindless lyrics across his journal. Line after line had been written, crossed out, revised, proofread, thrown away, and ditched all together. But not one of them seemed to be what Chan had asked for. 

For the last hour, the young rapper had pretty much just been tapping his pencil against the blank sheet of paper before him, struggling to remember Chan's instructions. _"I n_ _eed half of it rap and half of it vocal. Chorus mainly just the instruments. I don't want it as dark as we usually write because it's time for Stays to have a bit of encouragement and support from us, but at the same time it needs to carry a deep meaning. I trust you and Changbin will be able to work something out."_

Yeah, because meaningful and fluffy worked just _great_ together! Thanks, Chan. 

And Changbin would definitely have trouble writing this piece because he, being known as the "Dark Rapper," would have to dig deep into that cute, cuddly side of himself and shovel up some rare, hippity-hoppity lyrics. Which meant Jisung would be the one doing most of the writing. 

Because he was the epitome of fluff.

Still, Changbin had been known to surprise Stray Kids more than once with his astounding ability to fit lyrics to the track, so Jisung wouldn't ignore his request. The maknae of 3racha whirled around in his wheeled chair and accepted the notebook from Changbin's outstretched hands to place it over top of his own writing journal. 

After quickly reading through the first five lines or so of Changbin's rough draft, Jisung sighed to himself. He should have known Changbin wouldn't be able to meet Chan's standard of a "preppy" rap. Difficult as it was already, Changbin just didn't have a light enough side to him when composing songs to fit the "happy" image correctly. Jisung needed to let him know that, but the boy didn't want to offend his older friend by abusing the hard work Changbin had put into this song for the last two hours. 

"I don't know, Changbinnie-hyung. They might work for another song in the future - or even for that song Chan's working on now, since I've heard some of it already - but I really don't think this'll work with the track Chan-hyung gave us. It's a bit too dark," Jisung stated honestly, flipping the notebook around for Changbin to see. "Now, this line isn't bad. We could definitely fit it into the song somehow. But the rest of them need to be altered to fit the image of 'encouraging' since that's what hyung asked for."

"Hmm." Changbin took the notebook back into his hands and circled the line Jisung liked while studying the others with his head down, hair gathering in his dark eyes. After a brief moment, Changbin glanced up and met Jisung's gaze with a wry smile. "Let me guess, you don't think I'm capable of fixing this because I'm the 'dark rapper.'"

Jisung held his hands up in defense, leaning back in his chair with an expression of protest. "I didn't say that, Changbin-hyung. You just assumed."

"You didn't have to say," Changbin fired back, sliding his chair back over to his desk and throwing the black notebook on top, cover closed. "Your expression said everything."

"What, so now my expression tells you  _exactly_ what I'm thinking at any given time?" Jisung stood from his chair and stretched, feeling irritation bubbling up in his chest. He and Changbin had clashed before over lyrics, but never over something like this. He didn't want to hurt Changbin by criticizing his personality - he liked Changbin just the way he was - and he hoped the boy caught on to the layer of gentle teasing lacing his voice, otherwise something bad could happen. Yes, the two had fought many times, generally when they were tired and unable to think of anything to write. 

Like now. 

"I don't know," Changbin replied acidly. Stray Kids' main rapper opened a drawer to his desk and grabbed a flashdrive from inside, which he plugged into his computer. "You  _are_ one of those people who wears their emotions on their sleeves. It's easy to read you, kid." 

Jisung stared at the back of Changbin's head, his thoughts flying a mile a minute as he tried to digest the meaning behind those words. No, he didn't like fighting; but when it came to his personality, he would always defend himself. No one made fun of who he was. Still, he remained quiet as Changbin pulled up Chan's track and played the up-beat music through the speakers in the room. No use in needlessly starting an argument. 

Once the track played through once, Changbin halted the recording and swiveled to face Jisung. "Okay, what are your thoughts? From the tone of the piece, what kinds of verbs and nouns do you think Chan wants?"

Good, good. They were trying to work together again before things got heated. Jisung appreciated that they'd already learned so much from the past that they could easily brush off misunderstood criticism. "Definitely sappy, considering it's dedicated to Stay and we love them with all our hearts. Maybe phrases like 'you're the light that shines at the end of this endless tunnel,' to link it to Chronosaurus or other songs."

"Oh, yeah! That's a good idea, I like it," Changbin muttered, quickly flipping open his notebook and scribbling the line down. "Plus, it's meaningful and deep, which is just what Chan was looking for."

Jisung felt a flush of pleasure at the praise he received from his old-time friend. Changbin rarely complimented anyone (except Felix,  **cough** ), so to hear such open praise from the rapper satisfied Jisung to no end. "What about you, Binnie-hyung? Do you have any ideas?"

"One or two. What do you think about this: 'I've stumbled, I've fallen, I've wanted to give up; but every time I nearly fail, you're there to make me stay.'"

Whoa . . . had that just come from Changbin's mouth? Jisung felt a sense of success at the words he just heard slip effortlessly off his friend's lips. "Wow, that's really good! It's a little dark, but it's hopeful and sweet and definitely dedicated to Stays. It's very you. I think Chan'll like it."

A huge smile broke out over Changbin's face, and Jisung couldn't help but return the gesture. Smiles were even more contagious than yawns sometimes. 

For the next hour or so, the two rappers struggled to form more lyrics that fit well with the lines they already had and with the track Chan had given them to use. However, they could think of absolutely nothing that satisfied them, and they were just as stuck as they'd been before. No matter how many times they listened to the track or how many lines they wrote, nothing significant popped into their minds. 

After another half hour, Jisung planted his face on his desk with a frustrated groan. "Why is this so hard? It should be easy to write a song for Stay because they're the reason we're doing so well. They're everything to us."

"That's probably why it's so hard," Changbin pointed out mildly. "We want to make the song perfect for them, or we won't feel like we expressed our gratitude well enough."

"I guess so." Jisung quieted down for a moment before glancing over at Changbin. "What I wouldn't give for a hug right now. I always feel more motivated after hugging someone." 

"Go hug someone else," Changbin mumbled from where he rested his head in his arms. "You know I don't like hugs."

Remembering the conversation he and Changbin had had in the Two Kids Room, Jisung felt a flash of hurt in his heart at the statement. "You mean you don't like hugging _me_. But when it comes to Hyunjin or Jeongin or  _especially_ Felix, nooooo, you're perfectly fine with hugging them."

Changbin shot around in his chair, the glint in his eyes both angry and confused. "Are you still mad about that? I gave you a hug when we got our first win for 'Miroh!'" the rapper exclaimed. "I may not hug you much, but at least I hugged you then!"

"Perhaps," Jisung muttered, staring down at his thumbs, "but was it more for me or for yourself? Didn't you only hug me because we'd finally succeeded? Why don't you hug me when we  _don't_ succeed? I need more comfort then because that's when I feel like a failure! Why don't you hug me when I feel lonely or homesick? I need more comfort then because that's when I feel lost. Why don't you hug me when you hug everyone else? I need more comfort then because that's when I feel unloved. But no, you hug me when I'm happy and crying tears of joy! The only reason I'd need a hug then is because I'm embarrassed to cry in front of Stay! The only time you ever hug me is when I need you least!  _That's_ why I know you only hugged me that day because you were proud of our success - of  _your_ success!"

Changbin appeared very taken aback at the sudden outburst from Jisung. He'd known about Jisung's longing for a real hug from him, but he hadn't realized the poor kid felt this deeply about it. But Changbin, being Changbin and a very tired one at that, felt the sudden urge to defend himself. "What, would you rather I had not hugged you at all! You know I'm not a very physical person, and you're already so loved by everyone else that I figured you'd rather get a hug from one of them than from me!"

Though the truth came out now and made sense from both angles, neither boy allowed the sense to drill into their skulls. Later on, they might see it from the other's point of view, but for now their exhaustion and anger took over their words. 

"I love them, yes, but I love you too! Sometimes I really miss the days when you and Chan and I were the only ones in the group, because at least then you paid attention to me!"

 "You're saying I don't pay attention to you now? That I never talk to you, or listen to you, or work with you? What do you call this then? Ignoring each other?!"

"Well, it's sure not cooperating, that's for sure! This is the only time you ever  _really_ pay attention to me, when we're fighting or working, and it's only because you  _have_ to pay attention to me!"

"What about fan signs then, huh? I never pay attention to you then?"

"Ever heard of fanservice? That's why you pay attention to me then! Plus, I usually end up talking to Minho or Jeongin instead because  _you're_ never there to talk to me!"

"So this is all  _my_ fault?"

"Who else's fault would it be? You're the only one who doesn't hug me so of course it's your fault!"

During the course of the fight, both boys eventually stood to their feet and got into each other's faces, eyes flashing dangerously with fury. They both clenched their fists, fingernails digging into their nails and drawing little rivulets of blood. 

"Well, why don't you take  _this_ instead of a hug then, and I'll show you how I  _really_ feel about you!" Changbin yelled, aiming his balled-up fingers at Jisung's chubby cheekbone. The latter just barely managed to duck behind the blow and throw his own fist toward his friend's face, landing a solid punch on the visual's chin. Changbin reeled back with a pained gasp, and Jisung's mind suddenly cleared at the sound. He realized just exactly what the two of them were doing, and he felt terrified. There were times when members in Stray Kids fought and screamed at each other, times, like with Hyunjin, when they nearly threw fists at each other. But never had they actually landed punches before. They'd always been able to stop themselves before that happened. 

But today, it had been carried too far. Jisung had just punched Changbin's beautiful face, and he felt horrified at his own actions. When had they gotten to this point? Why had they gotten so mad over something so stupid, something they should have been able to work through just as easily as they had in the past?

Jisung reached out for Changbin in hopes of comforting the boy and asking immediate forgiveness, but just as his finger brushed the skin of Changbin's bruised jaw, the older of the two suddenly crashed his own fist into Jisung's forehead, causing the recipient of the harsh blow to snap his head back and stagger. He could have regained his balance and halted the spell of dizziness, but strong arms pushed him farther back and he couldn't catch himself. Instead, he flailed his arms, desperately trying to catch himself before he got hurt. He managed to break his fall with his arms behind him, but the strange position of his body meant that the brunt of the weight dropped to his right wrist. The moment he landed, a loud  _pop!_ sounded from his arm, he felt something snap, and an agonizing pain shot up his wrist. 

A second later, Jisung was screaming with all his heart - not at Changbin this time, but at the throbbing, burning of his injured wrist. It hurt so  _bad_ , but the pain wouldn't subside and he just couldn't handle it, he couldn't, he couldn't, it hurt so bad, why did this happen to him, why wouldn't the pain  _stop_ , why had this all happened in the first place, he couldn't handle it, please help him . . . 

"JISUNG! What have I done, what have I done? I'm so sorry, Sung, listen to me!!"

The last voice Jisung wanted to hear right now was Changbin's. Changbin was the one who'd done this too him. Changbin had hurt him, verbally and physically and mentally. Go away, Changbin. 

"Someone help! Jisung's hurt! Please help!"

It took Jisung a second to realize that Changbin had thrown open the door to their studio and was now shouting down the hallway for the help of someone, anyone. Preferably another member, or a manager, or even JYP. But with the walls so thick to ensure the loud music wouldn't penetrate through the halls and disturb other groups practicing, Jisung doubted anyone would be able to hear either one of them. 

But perhaps his hysterical screams roused the attention of someone in the next room over; or maybe someone had some sort of sixth sense that flared up and urged them to action. Whatever the case, a door down the hall slammed open and a worried voice shouted a question at Changbin. 

Jisung didn't grow aware of any of this until suddenly there was someone in front of him that wasn't Changbin. A familiar, comforting voice resounded in Jisung's ears, and the boy ceased his screaming to ground himself in the soft chant of the voice whispering sympathy to him. 

"That's it, Jisungie, just listen to me and don't think about anything else." Slowly, Jisung was able to discern the voice as Hyunjin, and he registered a hand calmly stroking up and down his back in a soothing manner. "Try to focus on me, Sungie. You're gonna be okay, but you have to calm down and breathe, okay?"

Tears streaked down Jisung's cheeks as sobs and hiccups escaped between his lips. The pain still hadn't subsided at all, but now that Hyunjin was here, he knew he'd be safe and someone would take care of him. He needed to be strong so he didn't make it needlessly harder for the older boy to help him. So Jisung sucked in a large breath and let it out, continuing in that pattern until his stuttering breath slowed and the tears gradually diminished to a drop or two every minute. Though the fire still ravaged in his wrist and he still felt like passing out, he could think clearly enough to listen to Hyunjin's instructions now. 

"Good job, Sungie," Hyunjin smiled, patting the sniffling boy on the head in a gesture of affection. "I know you're in a lot of pain right now, but we can help you if you try to listen to us, okay?"

Jisung nodded slowly in understanding. He scanned the room for Changbin, spotting the boy in the corner wearing a terrified expression; Minho stood next to him, watching the scene unfold before him and clearly trying to digest exactly what had happened. 

"Okay, Minho-hyung's going to call Channie-hyung and tell him that we're taking you to the emergency room to get that wrist looked at," Hyunjin began, reaching into his pocket and handing his phone to Minho, "and Changbinnie is going to find our manager and have him drive us to the emergency room. The others are going to head to the dorm and get your bed ready for you when you come back from the ER. In the meantime, you just sit here until manager-nim comes and try not to move your arm. And let us know if you need anything, all right?"

Again, Jisung nodded to show he'd heard and knew what he needed to do. He sat quietly on the floor of the studio with Hyunjin's arm around his shoulder, regulating his breathing as he zoned in on Minho's voice speaking to Chan. 

"Channie-hyung? Listen, I- we're taking Jisung to the emergency room. I don't know exactly what happened, but it looks like Jisung broke his wrist pretty badly. . . . Hyunjin and Changbin are here with me, we're all going to go together with manager-nim . . . yeah . . . Hyunjin wants the little ones to get the room ready for Sung . . . okay . . . yeah, we'll do that. Thanks, hyung. Bye."

Minho hung up the phone and handed it to Hyunjin, murmuring, "Channie-hyung and Woojin-hyung are planning to meet us at the hospital after telling the kids what happened and helping them get everything ready for Sung. Chan suggested we find ice and hold it to Sung's arm just above the break."

"Yeah, that sounds like a good idea," Hyunjin nodded. 

The eldest in the room opened his mouth to offer help, but Changbin beat him to it by blurting, "I'll get it! I know right where to find it." In another second, the boy had disappeared out the door. 

Had Jisung been in a better state of mind, he would have questioned why Changbin suddenly wanted to help after the massive fight they'd just been in. Not to mention that Jisung had literally punched him in the face. But at the moment, Jisung only wanted this throbbing to go away. He leaned against Hyunjin's side, exhausted after the fight and the screaming and crying, ready to just sleep it all off. Ready for this day to be over. But oh, the day had only just begun. 

\----

"We've finished resetting the bones, so we'll discharge him as soon as he wakes up. Luckily, it was a clean break so it was relatively easy to fix, but he'll be in quite a bit of pain for a while. We've got his pain medicine with him with instructions on the bottle. As long as you follow those directions, the pain will be toned down to a bearable level. I expect he'll be tired for the next few days while his body begins the healing process and the drugs in his system from the anesthetic and the pain medication wear off. My advice is just to keep him as comfortable as possible and come back earlier than his appointment with the doctor in two weeks if he seems to be in more pain than he should be."

Changbin felt relieved after receiving the news from the doctor on Jisung's condition. But at the same time, he felt terrible inside. Something constantly squeezed his heart with a feeling of utter guilt and regret. He couldn't believe he'd hit Jisung, for one. And he couldn't believe he was the reason Jisung was in this whole situation now. No one had asked yet for the details of the whole situation, nor did Changbin wish to tell them this whole thing had been his fault. But he knew the questions would start soon, and he needed to come clean. For now, though, he would focus on taking care of Jisung and working to make up for what he'd done today. 

"Thank you, doctor-nim," the manager bowed, accepting the medicine from the doctor's hands and smiling at the boys. "We'll be sure to take care of him well."

"Of course," the doctor smiled. "Be sure to encourage him often; having an injury as an idol can be difficult, as a broken bone for him means he can't dance for at least five weeks, depending on how quickly he heals. But he's got his group to take care of him, and many fans to lift his spirits." The doctor shot the boys a knowing wink before heading back through the doors from where he'd entered. 

"You think he's a Stray Kids fan?" Hyunjin giggled. He pointed at the doors swinging behind the doctor, a beautiful smile gracing his features now that he knew everything had gone well. "At least we know he did everything he could to help Jisungie out!"

"He's a doctor. He should've done that anyway," Woojin pointed out wryly. He and Chan had arrived about half an hour ago and immediately bombarded the three members in the waiting room with questions about Jisung. "But it's interesting to see the variety of people that listen to our songs."

"For sure." Chan tapped his foot impatiently against the ground. He and Woojin had been unable to see Jisung since they'd arrived after the youngest of 3racha had been put to sleep. Obviously, the leader wanted to see for himself that Jisung was truly okay. 

In the meantime, Changbin continued to wallow in guilt. He couldn't get the images out of his head of his fist smashing into Jisung's forehead, of Jisung falling, of Jisung's wrist snapping. He couldn't forget the first scream that tore from Jisung's lips and scared Changbin to death. He couldn't forget the way he snapped out of the haze of anger, heart pounding, to see his bandmate sprawled across the floor with tears flowing down his cheeks and face twisted into a mask of agony. This had all been his fault. All of this. He feared the moment when he faced the others and explained to them exactly what had happened . . . but he feared facing Jisung more. There was no reason the boy had to forgive him, and Changbin doubted they'd ever make up after the events in the studio today. But Changbin would do his best to show Jisung that he still loved him. Even if that meant hugging Jisung for the next ten years. 

The moment the doctor entered the room pushing Jisung before him in a wheelchair, the others leaped out of their chairs and smothered the boy with hugs and kisses, all the while being mindful of the arm wrapped brightly in a blue cast. Changbin, however, hung back a bit. Jisung wouldn't want a hug from him, not after the argument they'd had. 

But Changbin wanted to do something. So when Chan reached for the wheelchair, Changbin quickly stretched his arms out and grabbed the handles first. "I got it. You guys lead the way and make sure he's comfortable." 

Surprise briefly flitted across Woojin's eyes at Changbin's strange request, but the eldest made no remarks and instead opted for steadying Jisung in the wheelchair. 

Honestly, the sight of Jisung amused Changbin. The younger member practically slept in the wheelchair, head down and bangs gathering in front of his eyes. Little puffs of air escaped his lips as he fought to stay awake, eyes drooping lower and lower with each passing second. Changbin extended his hand and gently ran his hands through the strands of soft, fluffy hair in front of him. From now on, he'd do everything he could to prove his love for his bandmate and brother. 

\----

The first thing Jisung saw when he woke fully aware of his surroundings was the head of long brown hair buried in a pair of arms that rested by his bed. He felt confused at first as to why someone was in his room, but the flare of dull pain when he moved his arm reminded him of everything. Oh, man, he felt so bad for hitting Changbin, but he felt even worse knowing that Changbin probably blamed himself for this, even though they were both at fault. 

Speaking of Changbin . . . the rapper was the one currently resting half-way on Jisung's bed with eyes closed and features smooth in the calm of sleep. Jisung took a moment to study the boy by him, reaching out with his uninjured hand and brushing his fingers through the locks of hair layering Changbin's forehead. The rapper in question stirred at the touch and blinked up sleepily at his friend. The moment their eyes met, Changbin jerked upright in sudden realization of where he was and who he was with, and he stood and blurted out, "You're awake. I'll go get the others." 

As Jisung watched the disappearing form of his hyung, he noticed how tense and withdrawn his older brother seemed. It made sense; Jisung felt a bit uneasy around Changbin too, especially after what had happened. But at the same time, he felt saddened at this rift in their relationship and the uncertainty it caused between them. Neither of them had had a chance to talk about what happened, so neither of them knew exactly how the other felt. But Jisung missed Changbin. 

They'd have to talk about it later, though, because Chan now entered the room, followed by Woojin, Minho, Hyunjin, and Felix. Apparently the youngest two felt a little anxious. Either that, or Chan had asked them to stay away for the sake of Jisung's sanity. 

"Hey, Sungie, how's the arm?" Chan asked, sitting on the edge of Jisung's bed and placing a hand on Jisung's shin. "Do you need more pain medicine?"

"No, it's not too bad right now," Jisung answered honestly. "Actually, I can hardly feel it except for when I move it."

"Then don't move it, you idiot," Minho chuckled softly, ruffling his dongsaeng's hair fondly. 

Jisung protested noisily, pretending to be annoyed by the command despite the smile that threatened to emerge over his lips. 

"Oh, stop that, I know you had to move your arm to be able to figure that out," Minho grinned with a wink. The singer-turned-rapper shot Jisung a finger heart before leaning outside the doorframe and dragging a protesting Changbin back inside the room. "Now, we need to discuss exactly what happened in the studio earlier, because there must be a logical explanation for how Jisung broke his arm, got a bruise on his forehead, and how Changbin has massive swelling on his chin. Hmm? Do tell us, please."

Ah . . . so this must be the real reason Seungmin and Jeongin were not in the room. Chan didn't want the little ones to know that two of their bandmates had gotten into a physical fight and hurt each other. It wouldn't be a good testimony to them or to Stray Kids' fans. 

For a brief moment, only silence existed in their little room. Jisung and Changbin made eye contact for the first time since the incident, and they saw the uncertainty and fear reflected in each other's eyes. Neither of them knew how to explain this. But Jisung did see the disappointment and regret glittering in Changbin's dark eyes, and he realized that his friend felt horrible for what he'd done. Jisung felt bad too. He needed to protect Changbin. 

"You wouldn't believe what happened, it was so stupid of me!" Jisung began with a fake laugh that he hoped was convincing to the others. "I got up to try and grab something that I needed from off Chan-hyung's desk, and right at the same time Changbin-hyung turned around to ask me a question. His foot met mine, and I went down hard. Changbinnie-hyung tried to catch me - he even managed to get his arms around me - but he wasn't able to stop my fall completely, and I ended up landing on my wrist. That's when it broke. As for the bruises on our faces, well, the impact when I landed caused Binnie-hyung's chin to meet my forehead, and hence we now show results from our collision."

Thankfully, the others seemed to buy it, and the tension in the room broke, especially when Chan murmured, "I'm glad it's as simple as that. Anything more serious and we'd most likely be having more than the next day off." Hyunjin and Felix visibly relaxed at the words, and Woojin nodded reluctantly at the explanation. It made sense. 

However, when Jisung caught the look Chan directed at him, a look that only he could see, he knew that Chan didn't need to ask to know that the story was a cover-up of the truth. The fact that Chan didn't pressure them into revealing the truth meant that he expected them to work everything out on their own. 

"Try to get some more rest, Sung," the leader murmured with a clap on the injured boy's shoulder, "and don't worry about coming to practice the next couple of days. Manager-nim gave you until Monday to begin recovering. Even then, no dance practices or physical activities until you get the clear from the doctors. We don't want you to re-injure it to the point it'll never heal correctly."

"Got it! I shall never move it again! I'll just use my other hand to whack everyone when they annoy me!"

Chan chuckled lightly at Jisung's silly words before he patted the boy on the head and exited with everyone but Changbin in tow. 

Which left the arguers alone in a room by themselves. 

\----

"Why'd you do that?"

"Do what?"

"Lie to Chan about what happened? We should have told him the truth."

Changbin and Jisung sat quietly in Jisung's room together, both of them awkward and avoiding eye contact but talking nonetheless. It was a step, since the only words spoken between them up to this point had been a statement to find someone else. 

"I know we both regret what happened. That's all that matters to me right now. You're my friend and my brother and I don't want you to get in trouble for what happened because chances are that someone will find out and we could be put on probation," Jisung explain with a little shrug. His eyes rested on Changbin's fingers, which wrestled and fought each other. "I'd rather that neither of us get in trouble than both of us, especially since I know this won't ever happen again." 

"But you had no qualms with lying?" Changbin questioned. Each second that passed in quiet solitude, he inched closer to Jisung's side. Almost as if the talk between them told him Jisung still wanted him after everything that had happened. "What if someone finds out about what really happened? Then we'll be in even more trouble for lying." 

"If we stick to my story then they have no evidence to blame us for anything other than clumsiness," Jisung murmured. He paused for a moment, then whispered almost inaudibly, "Of course I had qualms with lying. But I'd do it again in a heartbeat if it meant I could protect you."

Finally, their eyes met, one pair full of determination and sympathy, the other shimmering with gratefulness and sorrow. 

"I don't get it, though. Shouldn't you be mad at me?" Changbin asked. By this point, he'd come close enough to brush thighs with Jisung. The warmth of the contact comforted both of them and served to remind them that they were both humans who made mistakes.

Jisung rubbed his hand through his hair, sighing through his lips as he leaned back against the headrest. "Theoretically, yes. But this isn't a theoretical situation - it's a real problem that's only going to become worse if I remain angry at you. That's what caused this whole thing in the first place." Changbin immediately nodded agreement to Jisung's logical thinking. "Besides, you have every right to be mad at me too. I landed the first punch and it bruised your jaw. But you're not mad at me, and I'm not mad at you. We're both sorry for what happened and we're both promising ourselves that we're never going to get so out of control again. Plus, you're like family to me and I love you too much to be mad at you for long. So don't worry about it. I'm not mad at you."

All the air seemed to deflate from Changbin's lungs, and the boy finally gave in to his desire to be close to the boy he'd hurt now that he knew there were no hard feelings between them. The dark rapper scooted next to Jisung on the bed and pulled the blanket over both of them. His hand sought out Jisung's and wrapped around the other boy's lanky fingers. They remained that way for quite some time, allowing themselves to enjoy the comfort of each other in a rare moment of intimacy. 

Then Changbin broke the friendly silence by murmuring two simple, meaningful words: "I'm sorry." 

It was like speaking his heart broke the floodgates barricading his feelings. Saying the two words that had been so hard to say and meaning them with all his heart, plus hearing Jisung respond with a sorrowful sigh and a breath of "Me too" shattered Changbin's hard heart. The first sob tore its way through his lips, loud and raw, followed by a series of heartfelt cries that he didn't try to staunch. He allowed himself to pour out his heart to Jisung. People rarely saw him cry, even his brothers, because he'd always believed hiding his emotions meant people would like him more. But he wanted to show Jisung that he really cared about this, about  _him_ , so he allowed himself to become vulnerable in the presence of his brother. The tears paved paths down his cheeks in time with the sniffles and sobs that exited his mouth in pants and gasps. At some point, he began to babble out the thoughts that had been bouncing around in his head all day. 

"I'm so sorry, Sungie, this is all my fault. If I'd just kept calm, if I hadn't pushed you, if  _I'd just hugged you_ , then none of this would've happened. You'd be okay, I wouldn't have to worry about you. We wouldn't be such burdens to the others. We might even have finished the stupid track in the time it's been since you broke your arm. But I lost control, you _tried_ to stop me and be rational at first but I ignored you and then  _you_ got angry too and I've never seen you so angry. You were only defending yourself when you hit me because I'd already tried, oh, Jisungie, I tried to  _hit_ you, no, I _did_ hit you, I'm so sorry, I'm so, so sorry, this is all my fault, please forgive me, it's all my fault, I'm sorry-"

 "If this hadn't happened, Binnie, then you wouldn't be hugging me now."

The truth and warmth in Jisung's voice halted Changbin's blubbering rant. The rapper processed the words in his ear, and as the tears cleared from his vision, he realized he had indeed latched onto Jisung at some point in the last minute. His arms wrapped around Jisung's waist (somehow still cautious of the broken limb between them) and his head nestled in Jisung's neck, soaking the shirt below with his tears. His hand still latched on to Jisung's. "Sungie-"

"Shh. I understand, Binnie-hyung, I really do. But this isn't your fault, either. It's both of ours. We both got angry, we both hit, so let's not worry about who's fault it is, okay? Besides, you could very well have been the one in my position," Jisung said. "But what's done is done, and we're both sorry for what happened. I forgive you. As long as you forgive me too, then we can put this behind us."

Changbin realized how big this moment was for both of them. First, he'd finally hugged Jisung for being  _Jisung_. He'd hugged Jisung because he finally understood how much Jisung meant to him as both friend and family. As for Jisung . . . well, the boy finally received the hug from Changbin that he'd been so desperately wanting. They both acknowledged how much they appreciated each other. 

"Of course I forgive you," Changbin sniffled. "I always will." 

The rapper tightened his hold on Jisung with a smile beautifying his features. 

He didn't let go for a long time.

\----

"All right, who put their dirty shoes on the clean carpet?"

"Wasn't me!!"

"Funny how you're always the first one to say that and it's  _always_ your fault!"

"But it's not this time!"

"Oh, we'll see about that. C'mere you little brat!"

Jisung and Changbin smiled to each other over their cereal bowls when the bickering between Woojin and Hyunjin started up at seven in the morning. This ritual occurred often, unfortunately, but at least it ensured that everyone would be awake by the time they reached the studios. Today's spectacle turned out to be much more entertaining than usual, as it involved flying shoes, headlocks, and bad dongsaengs having their bathroom privileges revoked. 

Changbin continued to shovel food into his mouth without saying word, but the exchanged glances he and Jisung constantly shot each other said enough for the both of them. Chan watched the two of them with knowing eyes, glad they really seemed to have strengthened their bond through whatever had happened in the studio that day. He still didn't believe Jisung's story about them colliding and falling, but as long as they continued to treat each other so kindly he wouldn't worry about it. Those two had always had a strange bond, but it seemed to be especially strong lately. Hopefully it wouldn't break or bend anymore. 

"Jisungieeeeeeeeeeeee." Jeongin waddled into the kitchen already whining. He'd clearly just been woken up by the unholy screeches from his older brothers, told by the way his hair stood up in little tufts. 

"Cute," Jisung unashamedly blurted, laughing at the way Jeongin's cheeks steadily reddened. 

"Hyung, you won't be coming to practice with us today," Jeongin pouted, grabbing on to Jisung's good arm and jumping up and down in protest. "Are you going to be okay all alone?"

Feeling a surge of fondness at the maknae's concern, Jisung ran his fingers through Jeongin's hair to straighten out the knots before sarcastically pointing out, "I'm nineteen, Innie. I'm sure I can handle myself."

"Plus, Changbin is staying behind to look after him," Chan announced. 

At this news, Jisung whipped his head around to stare at Chan first, then Changbin. "He is?"

Chan nodded. "Yep. He volunteered."

That was a first, but then again, it made sense considering the relationship-building day they'd had yesterday. Jisung studied the way Changbin glared down at his food with a bright smile, his cheeks layering with a healthy flush of pink. They were both excited for the day ahead. 

"Cool," was all Jisung said. "Well, you guys have fun wearing yourselves out then."

"HEY! That's rude. Just cuz you got hurt doesn't mean you get to sit around and enjoy life by yourself!"

"But I won't be by myself! Changbinnie-hyung will be here too."

"Which is  _totally_ unfair! Channnnnnnn-hyung, can we  _please_ ask manager-nim to let us have one more day off with Jisung-hyung? Pleaaaaaaase?"

"Be grateful you even  _got_ a day off, you ungrateful child. I could've made you slave away in the confines of our studio prison while Jisung got to sit around to his little heart's content and laugh at us one day more."

"Who are  _you_ calling child?! Jeongin  _and_ Seungmin are younger than me!"

"And I'm still older than you by two years, so you are still a child!"

"Oh, does Jaebum-sunbaenim call you  _child_ then, too? Cause he's way older than you!"

"First of all, that's  _so_ offense to Jaebum-hyung on  _so_ many levels, and I will be sure to let him know of your rude comments here this morning. Second of all, Jaebum-hyung considers me as a  _brother,_ not a child so our relationship is different."

"Wait, but didn't you say last week that we're a band of brothers? Sheesh, dude, make up your  _mind_." 

"Come on, guys, let's go so we can ask Jaebummie-hyung if he calls Chan a child!"

"YAH! GET BACK HERE YOU REBELLIOUS CHILDREN!"

\----

"I still can't believe I made you break your arm," Changbin groaned in despair about three hours later when he and Jisung sat in the living room watching anime together. "I'm such a terrible person."

Jisung breathed out through his nose, rolling his eyes to the heavens for help. "Changbinnie-hyung, we've been through this before. You're not a terrible person just because something you didn't want to happen happened. And I already forgave you, so your slate is clean. Start over and show me you're not a terrible person if I can't convince you otherwise."

"I'm so sorry, Sung."

"I know."

"It was all my fault."

"No it wasn't."

"I'm sorry."

"Binnie-hyung, come hug me and make me feel better."

The only thing at times like this that made Changbin feel like he was redeeming himself was when he hugged Jisung. He felt like he was truly trying to help the boy, trying to lift him up and showing him he loved him with all his heart. Changbin readily agreed to the compromise and moved from his position on the recliner to join Jisung on the couch and wrap the younger boy in his arms. 

Hours later, when the rest of the boys filed in to the dorm, they found Jisung asleep on the couch with Changbin underneath him, arms wrapped around the former's waist in a meaningful hug.

\----

That night, Changbin called the boys into the living room claiming that Chan wanted them to gather in the living room for a meeting. They all gathered without question, some sprawling onto the couch, some gathering on the floor, some of them piling onto the recliner. Changbin waited until seven of the eight boys had gathered before trekking to Chan's room and knocking on the door. 

"Changbinnie? What is it?" The leader looked up from his laptop where he'd been working on editing the new track due in a couple days - it sounded like the one Jisung and Changbin had been trying to write lyrics for. 

Changbin cleared his throat awkwardly before inquiring, "Could you join the others in the living room? I need to tell you all something."

Without question, Chan immediately closed his laptop and stood. "Of course. Let's go."

Changbin got the feeling that Chan knew exactly what this meeting would be about, and he didn't know if that made him more or less nervous. Ever since Jisung had told the lie about what had happened in the studio, Changbin had felt the weight of guilt in his heart. It wouldn't go away no matter how hard he tried to justify the lie; rather, it continued to grow until he knew he had to tell everyone the truth and take responsibility for the consequences. He just hoped Jisung would be okay with this. 

Once in the living room, everyone stared at Chan expectantly as if waiting for him. But when Changbin announced, "Actually, I'm the one who's holding this meeting tonight," all eight heads turned to study him in confusion. 

"There's something that's been bothering me lately, and I know I need to take responsibility for it if I'm going to feel better. Will you allow me to tell them the truth about what really happened in the studio, Sung?" Changbin's voice softened when he directed his voice toward the brown-haired boy squashed in the middle of the couch. If Jisung didn't want everyone to know the truth, Changbin would shut down the meeting right then and there and just leave questions lingering in the air. However, the brief expression of confusion that flitted over Jisung's pretty features faded into a determined nod. Good, they were both on the same page. "Well, first of all, Sung didn't fall. I didn't collide with him. And we didn't knock heads. No, we had a full-on fist fight."

The reaction wasn't as big as Changbin expected it to be. Only Felix and Jeongin exclaimed in surprise at the news. But for the most part, the others only shared knowing glances and nodded at Changbin. 

"You all knew?" Jisung squeaked out. He and Changbin faced each other with wide eyes full of quizzical confusion. "How?"

"It's hard to hide things that are obvious," Woojin murmured softly. "Like the fact that Hyunjin and Minho heard you guys screaming at each other way before Jisung broke his arm. Like the way Changbin couldn't approach you for so long after you broke your arm, or that he wouldn't meet your eyes. Like the way we heard Changbin crying when we left you two alone. Like the way both your knuckles were blistered from hitting each other. And like the way Changbin suddenly became _really_ physical with Jisung when he's never been before. Almost as if he was trying to ask forgiveness for something he'd done." 

Changbin and Jisung both brought their clenched fists up to their faces and studies the flesh on their knuckles. Most of the evidence of their fight was fading, but Changbin spotted a few patches of rough skin from where he'd struck Jisung's forehead. 

"I guess we never noticed in the rush of the events afterwards," Jisung stuttered, face white as he stared at his hand in disgust. "I'm almost relieved you all noticed."

"Yeah . . . but I think you still deserve to know what happened," Changbin sighed. "We argued about something really stupid. Actually, it's not stupid, not anymore. I think we were both just really tired and frustrated because we'd only been able to think up two lines for the new song, and we felt useless, and our emotions carried over into our conversation with each other. Somehow, the topic turned to our chat on the Two Kids Room when Jisung told me all he wanted was a hug from me. I told him I didn't like hugs, he said I hugged you guys all the time and asked why I didn't hug him. It just kept getting worse and worse from there, and we weren't able to control our emotions because we were too far taken by the anger. Eventually, I tried to hit Jisung. I missed, and he hit me back out of defense. He snapped out of it first, I think, the moment he hit me and realized what he'd done. But all I could see was my friend hitting me, so I hit him back. He fell off balance, started toppling backwards . . . and he would've caught himself, but I pushed him all the way over, and he put his arms out to break his fall. That's when his wrist snapped, and my heart with it. From there, Hyunjin and Minho come in, so you know the rest."

Complete and utter silence reigned over the dorm for almost a full minute while everyone processed the information. Jisung picked at a string on the hem of his shirt, head down and eyes turned away in shame. He couldn't bear to face the criticism his friends were about to lay on him full-force. 

Eventually, Hyunjin let out a shaky, "Wow. If I'd known you two were fighting, I would have come to your studio sooner." Guilt flashed briefly across the boy's perfect features. "Minho and I have heard you guys get into verbal fights before, so we assumed you'd work it out this time too. But by the time we noticed things had gotten out of hand, we were too late."

"Don't feel bad, Hyunjinnie-hyung," Jisung whispered. "The last thing you would expect from us was a real fight, so we don't blame you for not coming sooner. You weren't expecting it."

"True," Changbin agreed. He wrung his hands together in nervousness at what he was about to say. "I'm willing to take responsibility for what happened, and I'm ready for whatever consequences are laid upon me for fighting with a fellow member. I threw the first punch, so it is my fault the fight even started. I'll go to JYP tomorrow and talk to him about him, work things out and tell you all about it when I come back from my meeting with him."

"I'll do the same," Jisung spoke up before anyone else could step in. "I could have stopped the fight at the first punch, but I didn't. I'm at fault too, so I deserve the same punishment Changbin does. And I'm ready to accept my punishment for lying about this in the first place."

The boys broke out into pleas and objections for the two boys to just lay low and keep quiet. Felix appeared torn between supporting the boys or telling them to do the right thing. Woojin and Chan kept quiet for the most part, until the pandemonium died down a bit. 

Then Chan steadily stated, "Woojin-hyung and I have already spoken with JYP about this matter."

"WHAT?" The loud exclamation came from Seungmin, who sat up and shot a look at Chan that said he was crazy. "But you didn't even know what had happened!"

"I had a good enough idea, and enough evidence," Chan said calmly. "We didn't know exactly what happened, no, but now that we do Changbin and Jisung will have to meet with JYP soon - or tomorrow, as they so wish. However, JYP didn't seem too angry. In fact, he told me he was surprised it had been this long before a fight like this broke out. It's bound to happen when nine boys like us live together in the same dorm. He even told me the story of when BamBam and Jackson fought it out in the middle of Got7's studio with the others watching and refusing to interfere."

"Whoa, them sunbaenims really be at it," Hyunjin whispered, eyes wide at the thought of his idols fighting it out. "I know a lot of them have hot tempers, but still . . ."

"Yes, even they fight, Hyunjinnie," Chan smiled. "And JYP said we shouldn't worry about Jisung and Changbin fighting again for a long, long time. They've gotten their fighting spirit out, and now they're ready to focus and get back to work. As long as they're both mentally well, and not too seriously injured physically, then JYP won't serve a strict punishment. He understands what stress and exhaustion can do to boys who spend twenty-four seven with each other. Besides, they obviously feel bad about what happened and have made up and formed an even stronger bond than they had before, so really the results of their fight aren't entirely in vain. They realized how much they loved each other. So let's just say I doubt JYP's punishment will be harsh. You've both punished yourselves enough."

Jisung sagged against Minho at the news, and Changbin had to sit on the floor before his legs collapsed under him. It felt nice to know that their fight wouldn't have much more punishment than what they'd already been through. They could continue on the way they were now without worrying about some consequence looming over their heads. Now that the confession had been lifted from their chests, both boys felt happy and tired. Changbin opened his arms to the other members, and without question they all came running towards him. Eight bodies tackled him, eight pairs of hands fought for him, eight brothers smothered him in love. But there was one person in particular he wanted. Amidst the flailing pile of boys, Changbin found his way to Jisung, and there in the center of their family, they locked arms (careful of Jisung's wrist, of course!) in a gentle hug and fell asleep to the lull of each other's heartbeats. They were alive and well; they loved each other; and they wouldn't have it any other way. 


End file.
